Unlikely Destiny
by Catharien-meadowood
Summary: The main character, Cat, comes home from school one day and the unimaginable happens. new chapter!
1. Introduction

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Lord of the Rings characters. I simply use some of them in my stories. These characters and the whole concept of Middle Earth are the property of J.R.R. Tolkien. I just borrowed and adapted them to my stories. All the other characters in this story are my own creations; any resemblance to anyone is pure coincidence! And so, on with the story!**

Another boring day at University… It's not that I didn't like my major: history was great, but did the teachers really have to be that boring? Anyway, I was now sitting comfortably (sorta) in the subway, trying to relax before encountering my obnoxious roommate, Dave, yet again. I usually got along pretty well with people and never got into messy arguments. I hated conflicts: they made me nervous. But Dave was something else. He was the sort of person to get on your back for leaving a hair on the bathroom faucet. He, on the other hand, didn't believe in reciprocity. That seriously got on my nerves and since I was such a chicken when it came to confronting people, I ended up spending less and less time at home and more at University. Which wasn't so bad to think of it: I got most of my assignments done that way. I made a mental note to try and find a new roommate soon and got up to get off at the next station.

Walking down the street to my apartment building, I tried to avoid looking around too much and concentrated my gaze on my speeding feet. Needless to say, I didn't live in the most desirable neighborhood in town and I thought it best not to look too interested in what was going on in the numerous but questionable stores lining the street. I caught myself wishing I could live somewhere else, away from all this junk, for the hundredth time this month. I really hated the city with all its noise and pollution. People here were stressed out and rude, never ready to help anyone. And the trees! « These mingly twigs don't count as trees! » I said to myself, shaking my head as I passed one said tree. I missed the green spaces I had grown used to when I was a kid. « At least, we could climb up those trees! » I mumbled, now in a very grumpy mood. I quickened my pace a little, now impatient to get inside and away from this sad scenery.

I climbed the stairs leading to my apartment quickly, trying to find my keys at the same time. As I felt my key chain in my coat's pocket, I lifted my head and froze on the last step. Right in front of me was the slightly opened door to my apartment. No light was coming from inside and I suddenly felt quite uneasy. Being naturally a little paranoid, I immediately started to imagine the worst possible scenarios. Trying to think reasonably though, I suspected a robbery was more likely. « Great », I mumbled « and what if the thief is still there? ». Normally, I would've run downstairs and called someone, but instead, I stayed right there and hesitated. « Maybe I'm just being paranoid and there is absolutely nothing wrong », I thought to myself. « Dave is probably in the kitchen watching TV and just didn't care to close the door properly. That would be just like him! » and with that, I decided to go in and investigate. Being careful not to make any noise, I took a step closer and leaned in to see through the opening. It was dark, but the long hall looked normal: no sign of struggling or anything. A little relieved, I went in and closed the door behind me. There was no sign of robbery either. Everything was in its usual place. « That's a good sign. », I thought. I walked to the kitchen, opening the lights as I went. Everything seemed normal and I started to breathe a lot easier. As I turned the corner leading to the kitchen, I was actually expecting to find Dave asleep on the couch or something. But there was no one there either. Instead, I found a note on the table: 

Hey Cat! I'm working late tonight so don't wait up. And don't worry: I have my keys this time so you can lock the door before going to sleep. See ya tomorrow! Dave. 

« Is this a joke? », I said out loud, « This from the guy who can't even close the door properly before leaving! What an idiot… » I crumbled the note and threw it on the floor. Convinced now that the door incident was due to Dave's incapability, all my fears had left me. All I wanted now was a hot shower and a decent meal. By decent, of course, I meant substantial. I had no intention to spend 3 hours preparing something elaborate just to eat it alone. « Vive les macaronis! », (Hurray for macaronis!) and I went to my room in search of towel and soap.

            I loved my room. That was an especially good thing since I practically lived in there most of the time. I had decorated it myself, with soft yellow walls and green trimmings resembling vines cascading in the corners. I had made flowy curtains for the windows in white gauze and several green plants adorned my shelves and tables along with multiple candles of every shape. It was my little haven away from the insanity of modern life and not to mention, Dave. As I came in, I went straight to the wardrobe, to get my pjs and a fresh towel. As I opened the door, something heavy fell from above and everything turned black.


	2. A new place

Note : For the disclaimer, see chapter one.

Okay, so chapter one was really only an introduction. Here's where the real story begins. The * symbol means that those lines are spoken in Elvish. If I had the time, I would research it out and actually write those lines in Elvish, but for now, school takes too much of my time. In this story, humans and hobbits speak English. Also, there is no such thing as the Fellowship or the battle for Middle Earth yet. I would really appreciate reviews. This is my first story in English, so I know there's room for improvement! Thanks.

On with the show…

I woke up slowly, a throbbing pain shooting through my scull. A little dizzy, I didn't move for a while, trying to get my eyes to focus in the dark. "What happened?" I thought to myself, trying to make sense of this pain and why I was lying on the ground. Then, it all came back to me. The towel, the wardrobe door, and the blow on the head. What was it that fell from the shelf? I couldn't think of anything heavy enough to make such damage to my head… Grunting a little, I tried to sit up slowly so that I wouldn't lose consciousness again. "I guess I should go to the clinic to make sure I'm alright…" I said softly to myself. I was exploring my head with my right hand, trying to determine if I was bleeding or not. As I turned to support myself on the edge of my bed, I realized I wasn't in my room anymore. 

My eyes were now completely accustomed to the darkness and I couldn't find any of my things. No bed, no desk, no nothing. The room was empty except for a filthy wooden bowl lying a few feet away from me. "What's going on?" I shouted, a deep fear creeping inside of me. I was pretty sure I wasn't dreaming: the pain from my head injury would've surely woken me. So how come I wasn't in my room? I stood up quickly, my heart beating in my head and generally making things even worse. I found a door on my left and went to it as fast as I could. I tried to open it but it was bolted quite efficiently. Panic had now replaced fear and I kicked and screamed until my head started spinning again. I was forced to sit down and try to breathe normally again, if only to stop my head from exploding on the spot. As I calmed down slightly, I noticed for the first time the oddity of the room I was in.

It had a very dungeon-like atmosphere, with stone walls and pebbled floor. The wooden door was huge and presented no modern looking knob. Instead, massive iron bindings kept it in place. "This doesn't make any sense!" I said, panic creeping over me again. I could hardly breathe: I felt trapped and incredibly lost. I was starting to cry, completely overwhelmed by the situation, when I heard footsteps outside the door. Not knowing why, I felt the urge to hide and pressed myself in the farthest corner of the room. I heard a key turning and suddenly, the massive door swung open, revealing the most hideous and horrific creature I ever saw.  It came toward me and darkness took me once more.

Waking up again, the pain in my head immediately reminded me what happened before and I was more than reluctant to find out what was going on around me now. I could hear strange voices not too far away, but the language was not one I'd heard before. I could feel that my hands were bound together and something was painfully digging at my ankles. Opening my eyes carefully, I found that I was in a new room. Bigger than the room I was in earlier, this one had the same dungeon look. The walls were of black stone and a big arch seemed to lead to a passage way. The ceiling was incredibly high, and tall narrow windows only let in a bit of gray light. 

The hideous creatures were on the other side of the room, grunting together. They had crude armors and nasty, bloodstained swords at their sides. I looked them over, completely terrified. I couldn't decide whether I believed these were real monsters or not. "Monsters don't exist! There must be a logical explanation to all this!" I tried to convince myself, although I wasn't so sure anymore.

Suddenly, the beasts became very quiet and they all turned to the arch way where a tall old man had just appeared. He was clothed in a white cloak, long white hair falling on his shoulders. He held a black staff in one hand and stared at me from opposite side of the room. I looked away sharply, his gaze making me incredibly uncomfortable. He said something to the creatures, which seemed to make them either very angry or happy, for they started shouting in their awful language. Meanwhile, the old man was approaching me, walking slowly as if I was some sort of fascinating creature. I tried to back away from him, but found the wall not too far behind me. 

Quite suddenly, he stopped walking and spoke to me "They found you at last!"  I was really surprised to understand him: I had expected him to speak in the strange language he used with the other creatures. I didn't know what to say. "What is going on here?" I asked him shakily. "Why am I kept prisoner? And what the hell are these?" I said, pointing to the creatures in the corner with my head. I was growing more confident: I really wanted to sort this situation out. It couldn't be that bad, right? "These, are orcs my dear. Simple creatures really, but very helpful if you know how to control them." He came closer, his stare cold as ice. "And you are here because you have something that I want." I suddenly burst out laughing, surprising him at the same time. All of a sudden, it all made sense. "Right… Orcs! Okay, where's the catch? This is a very bad joke by the way!" Orcs didn't exist. They were created by Tolkien for his stories. This was probably some kind of make belief game where a whole group of people got together for a weekend of real-life Dungeons and Dragons or something. I had no idea how I got involved in this, but I wanted out. Dave probably found me unconscious and thought it would be funny to bring me here. He played Dungeons and Dragons and it was so much like him to do something like this! "Joke?" the man said, very seriously. "There is no joke woman. You can see through firestone and you will read for me." I didn't understand what he meant by that, but I was growing tired of this stupid game. "Look mister. I'm cold, I'm hungry, I'm hurt and I want to go home. You can keep playing your lame little game if you want, but it's going to be without me, so untie me and tell Dave I want to go." It was his turn to laugh and it sounded really evil at that. "This guy takes his character seriously!" I thought to myself. 

Before I knew it, he had called two of the orcs to him and given them orders I didn't understand. Apparently, it had something to do with me because they took me roughly by the arms and led me down to the prison again. Once locked in the dark and dirty room , I began wondering if the old man had been right. Maybe this wasn't a game after all.


	3. What to believe?

What to believe?  
  
Sorry for the delay.... With finals in school and then the holidays, it didn't seem like I could find time to write anything good. So, after much waiting, here's chapter 3. It's small, but I'll try to update soon. Hope you all like it!  
  
By the way, the * symbol means it is said in elvish.  
  
(.)  
  
I woke up to a harsh cry coming from down the hall.  
  
I had been up most of the night, torturing myself over what to believe and trying to figure out how I could have been caught up in such a messy situation. In the end, I decided not to decide: how could I? My head was screaming that this simply couldn't be happening. After all, there had to be a sensible explanation to all this, even though I couldn't see it yet. But deep down in my heart, I knew this was the real deal. I couldn't explain any of it, my eyes couldn't believe it, but it was all too true. I was in another world, and I was in deep trouble. Being torn between my heart and my head, I just stopped thinking. "What's the use anyway?" I thought to myself, "One way or another, I'm stuck in here." Very distraught and a good deal more frightened than ever, I finally curled up in a corner of the cell and ended up falling asleep, only to dream terrible dreams of dark and violence.  
  
Now very much awake, I tried to repress the fear that was slowly creeping over me once more. There were increasing sounds of commotion coming from the hall and that couldn't be good at all. Gathering all the courage I could muster, I stood up straight, my hands on my hips. "I'm going to face this", I thought firmly. "If I'm really in another world, so be it. But I'm not going to stay here and wait helplessly for something to happen to me." I declared out loud, more confidently than I really felt.  
  
At that moment, the door to my cell burst open and a flash of white light filled the room, blinding me temporarily. I backed away from the door immediately, administering punches as hard as I could to the person (or being) that had managed to get a hold of my arm. I couldn't see a thing, but kept fighting off my captor, only to receive a blow to the head, sending me to oblivion for the third time in just a few days.  
  
When I opened my eyes, I couldn't make out my surroundings at first. My head hurt, again, and it was very dark around me. I was in a foul mood due to my injury and the headache that resulted from it, but I sat up, squinting my eyes to see around me. "At least I'm alive" I thought gratefully, "for now!"  
  
Turning around, I realized I was sitting on a bed. A very soft and comfortable bed. "Home!" I thought at once, my heart pounding in my chest. Relief came over me, only to be replaced by doubt quickly after. This didn't feel like my bedroom. And the bed wasn't mine. By then, my eyes had adjusted to the darkness and I could make out tall white walls all around me. I was in a room, quite different from the previous one. The walls were white with beautifully carved edges. A window stood on my right and long curtains let in the night air. The room was furnished with elegant, yet simple wooden pieces. There was a night stand to my left and a reading chair beside the door. "This is most strange," I thought, "where am I?" As odd as all this was, I wasn't as scared as before. I couldn't explain it to myself, but this whole place had a peaceful feeling to it. It was a long cry from the cell I had been kept captive in for the last few days.  
  
I tried to get out of bed and realized I wasn't wearing my own clothes anymore. I was just about to jump out of bed to search the room for them, when there was a knock on the door. I froze in mid-motion, wondering who it could be. Before I could think of doing anything, the door swung gracefully open and revealed two tall figures, looking very noble.  
  
"I'm not dressed!" I cried, flinging myself back onto the bed and raising the covers up to my chin. I was wearing a nightgown, but it was rather transparent. The two men stepped inside the room, closing the door behind them. In other circumstances, I would have been uncomfortable, but oddly, I didn't feel threatened by them so I stayed where I was and waited.  
  
The first man took a step forward. I thought he was maybe 40 years old. He was tall, with long brown hair falling on his shoulders. He wore some kind of red tunic, richly decorated with threads of silver and gold. On his forehead rested a band of silver, shaped in what I thought was a Celtic style. His eyes were a deep blue and he rested them on me, forcing me to lower mine and stare at the bedding in front of me.  
  
* I am Elrond, Lord of Rivendell. I welcome you to my home.* I just sat there, staring blankly at him. "What in hell did he just say?" I wondered.  
  
Very confused, I looked up at the second man. He was older than the first, maybe closer to sixty years old. He had relatively long grey hair and beard, which made him look rather wise. He also wore a tunic, but in a much lest luxurious material. It was grey and very plain. In his left hand, he held a wooden staff.  
  
This man looked at me intently, as if trying to figure out what I was thinking. Suddenly, he asked me: "Vous parlez Français?" My heart leapt in my throat. "Oui!" I replied instantly, so happy that I could communicate with someone. "Et Anglais?" he asked again. "I can speak both languages." I answered. "Very well then, English it is." And with that, he turned to his companion. 


End file.
